Bread package



G. L. MEYERS BREAD PACKAGE Nov. 28, 1967 Filed June 29, 1964 aamw! I I "\u I I I j IBIREAID Ttrk j n INVENTOR. GEORGE L. ME YERS ATTORNEYS;

United States Patent 3,355,303 BREAD PACKAGE George L. Meyers, Menasha, Wis., assignor to American Can Company, New York, N.Y. Filed June 29, 1964, Ser. No. 378,503 3 Claims. (Cl. 99173) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A package of sheet material with at least a part being heat shrinkable material being preferably in the form of a bag having side walls and opposed open and closed ends. The closed end is in-folded to form a gusset which has one or more openings to serve as valves for venting air from the bag after the bag is closed and air is exhausted from the bag. The bag may include a heat shrinkable wall joined to a non-heat shrinkable wall in which situation the lower wall of the bag is preferably the heat shrinkable portion.

This invention relates to an improved method and bags for packaging bread.

Plastic bags which are now widely used for packaging bread have various disadvantages. Such bags are generally too loose and thus contain an excess of air which tends to stale the slices of bread, and also permit the slices to shingle thereby allowing the loaf to be easily crushed. A further disadvantage is that the copy area on the top of the loaf has large wrinkles therein, making it difficult to identify and merchandise the product. The use of shrink film has not been feasible for packaging bread because shrinking also wrinkles the top portion of the package and makes removal of the slices of bread annoyingly difficult.

It is the principal object of the present invention to overcome these difliculties and to produce a bread package which is both attractive and practical.

Further advantages and objects of the present invention will become more readily apparent in the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of a bag used in the present invention,

FIGURE 2 illustrates diagrammatically the heat shrinking step of the present invention, and

FIGURE 3 is a side View of the package of the present invention opened for removal of the contents thereof.

Referring now to the drawings in greater detail, FIG- URE 1 shows a bag 1 made from thermoplastic film. Bag 1 has opposed open and closed ends 2 and 3, respectively. Closed end 3 is preferably constructed so that it will have gussets 4. In one embodiment bag 1 has a hole or valve 5 placed under gusset 4. If valve 5 is so positioned, it will provide for the egress of air from bag 1 if open end 2 is closed by means of a clip, wire tie or the like. In a further embodiment of the present invention top 6 and bottom 7 of the bag are formed from non-shrinkable and shrinkable materials, respectively. Top 6 and bottom 7 are heat sealed together along seam line 8.

In accordance with the present invention only the lower part of the bag is heat shrunk, the top portion of the bag remaining in a substantially unshrunken condition. Bread packaged in this manner will be firmly held within the package and the top of the bag will be in wrinkle- 3,355,303 Patented Nov. 28, 1967 ice free engagement with the top of the loaf to permit clear viewing of the loaf and any product identification printed on the top of said bag or placed therein. The aforesaid result can be obtained in the case of a bag formed completely from heat shrinkable material by applying heat only to the bottom portion of the bag as shown in FIG- URE 2. In FIGURE 2 bag 1 contains a loaf of sliced bread 10, and the open end thereof has been closed by means of a removable fastening device 11. An inscription 12 is printed on the top portion of the bag. In order to shrink only the bottom portion, an upwardly directed stream of hot air is caused to impinge on the bottom of the loaf as indicated by arrows 13. A deflecting device 14 preferably prevents the hot air from shrinking the openable end of the bag. In the embodiment wherein the top portion of the bag is formed from a non-shrinkable material, any heatedenvironment having a temperature suitable for shrinking the bottom portion of the bag will cause the bottom portion only of the bag to shrink while leaving the top in an unshrunken condition.

As seen in FIGURE 3, the slices of loaf 10 can easily be removed from the bag if end 2 is permitted to remain in the unshrunken state and thus considerably larger than the remainder of the bag.

The method of the present invention can be carried out by allowing the open end 2 to remain open for evacuation of the air during the heat shrinking step. However it is preferred that a small opening be provided in closed end 3 for evacuation of the air. Such an opening can be a small slit for example on seam line 8. However it is preferred that a hole or a plurality of holes of any desired size and shape be placed under the gusset 4, thus providing a self-sealing construction. Such a valve placed under a gusset will permit the air to escape during the shrinking of the bag, until the air is substantially expelled therefrom and the bag is firmly drawn about the loaf. Continued heat treatment will then cause the gusset to shrink over the valve, sealing the same and thereby forming a relatively water vapor impervious package.

While certain preferred embodiments of the present invention have been disclosed for purposes of illustration, the invention is not limited thereto, as various equivalent embodiments will present themselves to those skilled in the art.

I claim:

1. A bag with an open end and a closed end comprising superposed heat shrinkable sheets, said sheets being infolded at the closed end of the bag to define an inwardly extending gusset, seams extending between the open and closed ends of the bag for securing the side edges of the sheets to each other and to the side edges of the gusset, an opening in the gusset near one of the side seams to serve as a valve for exhausting air from the bag when the bag is heat shrunk, said opening being positioned as to be closed by the gusset after heat shrinking.

2. A package comprising a product such as a loaf of bread and a heat shrinkable bag having superposed sheets in-folded at one end to form a gusset and seamed along side edges to form a tubular bag with an open end, the gusset including a flat bottom portion and spaced recessed portions which terminate at the side seams, an opening in one of the recessed portions of the gusset to serve as a valve for exhausting air from the bag, said opening being so positioned as to be closed by the gusset after the air is exhausted from the bag.

3. A bag formed from first and second generally rectangular'sheets of'fiexible plastic sheet'material, said first sheet being formed from a heat shrinkable material and second sheet being formed from a relatively non-heat shrinkable material, the bag having an open end, an inturned gusset in the closed end of the bag opposite the opening in the bag, the first and second sheets seamed to each other at side edges and along one edge of the gusset, the gusset including spaced edge portions which are joined to the first and second sheets by the seamed side edges, an opening in the gusset adjacent a seamed side terior of the bag.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 12/ 1941 Knuetter.

12/1963 Nash 22987 5/1964 Corbett 229-53 2/ 1966 Nichols 22931 3/1966 Danielzig 22953 FOREIGN PATENTS 9/1957 Australia.

JOSEPH R. LECLAIR, Primary Examiner.

DAVID M. BOCKENEK, Examiner. 

2. A PACKAGE COMPRISING A PRODUCT SUCH AS A LOAF OF BREAD AND A HEAT SHRINKABLE BAG HAVING SUPERPOSED SHEETS IN-FOLDED AT ONE END TO FORM A GUSSET AND SEAMED ALONG SIDE EDGES TO FORM A TUBULAR BAG WITH AN OPEN END, THE GUSSET INCLUDING A FLAT BOTTOM PORTION AND SPACED RECESSED PORTIONS WHICH TERMINATE AT THE SIDE SEAMS, AN OPENING IN ONE OF THE RECESSED PORTIONS OF THE GUSSET TO SERVE AS A VALVE FOR EXHAUSTING AIR FROM THE BAG, SAID OPENING BEING SO POSITIONED AS TO BE CLOSED BY THE GUSSET AFTER THE AIR IS EXHAUSTED FROM THE BAG. 